The will to fight
by UndeadFae
Summary: After the match to choose the Inazuma Japan members, something was wrong with Genda, Sakuma could tell, what with how he disappeared without an explanation after practice and came back the next day with bruises he couldn't explain. He was determined to find out what was going on.


Tip taps I love this ship can't you tell

* * *

Something was definitely wrong with Genda.

At first, Sakuma didn't really notice. It was after a few days that he started to see the pattern. Genda was spacing out during class, barely hiding a few yawns, his eyes almost closing on their own. He could've chalked that up to just a lack of sleep and stop overthinking, except that they always confided in each other whenever they had trouble with a nightmare or something like that again, and Genda started regularly disappearing right as their practice ended, right when he started struggling to stay awake in class. It wasn't a coincidence.

Then, came the bruises.

A new bruise, a fresh scrape, a band aid that wasn't there the day before. Something new showed up each morning, small injuries that on their own would be easy to ignore, but with everything he's seen so far? Saying Sakuma was worried was an understatement.

At first, he didn't say anything. He trusted Genda, he would talk to him if it was something serious. When more and more days passed and the concerning behavior didn't stop, however, Sakuma wasn't so sure anymore.

"Are you ok? You don't look so good." Straight to the point, he didn't even bother to hide his worry. Genda just smiled, straightening up in his seat just enough to not look so tired anymore. It didn't really work.

"I'm fine, don't worry- I just wasn't looking where I was going." Something twisted uncomfortably in his stomach at the thought of his boyfriend, the one he loved more than anyone else, lying to him so easily. Sakuma wanted to argue, to tell him that they both knew it was a lie, to ask just what the hell was going on. He would've done that too if the class wasn't about to start. Slipping back into his own seat, he quietly sighed and resigned himself to leaving that discussion for later. He couldn't quite focus for the rest of the class, just silently watching Genda from his seat and keeping track of everything wrong with him.

Practice began too quickly to ask him again, and Sakuma just spent half of it side glancing at Genda and hoping everything would be ok.

When practice was over, before he could even approach him and talk to him, Genda just glanced at the clock and quickly shoved all his stuff inside his bag, rushing out of the locker room with some half assed excuse Sakuma didn't really listen to, not even changing his clothes first. At least he had the decency to stop and give him a goodbye kiss before running out.

Sakuma could only hope that he was just overthinking, that things would get better with time.

* * *

It wasn't getting better. Genda was always looking tired, always showing up to school with a new bruise he tried to hide, always leaving early without saying what he was doing or where he was going, never giving an honest answer whenever he asked. Sakuma was already tired of this, the worry eating him alive a little more with each day that passed.

It was still early in the morning, with practice barely ending, that Sakuma finally managed to catch Genda alone for long enough to try and get an answer out of him.

"We need to talk." Genda winced at those words, and Sakuma almost decided to back off. Almost. He wasn't going to stand back and let whatever the hell was going on happen.

"Y-yeah, of course... what is it?" They already knew very well what the matter was. Sakuma just raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"What's going on? You just keep avoiding my questions and disappearing without saying anything- I'm worried for you!" Genda just looked away, refusing to meet his eye, struggling to find the right words. When he finally spoke up, his voice wasn't more than a whisper.

"I... I can't tell you..." Sakuma blinked, his eye widening, for once at loss for words.

"What..." For a brief moment, all he could do was silently stare at Genda, mind blank and disbelief written all over his face. Then, his eye narrowed and darkened. Some part of him was vaguely aware that it was the first time he ever felt this angry toward Genda of all the people. "What- what do you mean you can't tell me?!" Faced with the sudden outburst, Genda flinched, almost like it had hurt him. Deep down, Sakuma knew it probably did, but he was still too angry, too hurt to care.

"I-I can't-"

"You never kept a secret from me before." If the outburst hurt him, the eerily quiet words burned him like acid. "I thought you trusted me." Genda could've been stabbed with a rusty knife and it still would've hurt less than the betrayal shining in Sakuma's eye.

"Jirou, I-"

"No, don't 'Jirou' me- you're scaring me, alright? You look like you're gonna fall apart and I don't even know what's wrong to help you!" For a moment, Genda was quiet, fists clenched tightly and shaking just enough to be noticeable.

"I'm sorry... I... I can't..."

Something broke deep inside.

"I see." Without adding another word, Sakuma turned and started walking, not even sparing him a side glance as he picked his bag from the bench before leaving the locker room, his eye burning and his vision blurring with unshed tears, angry tears threatening to spill all those emotions he tried so hard to suppress.

For the rest of the day, he just avoided Genda as much as he could, looking the other way and walking away whenever he could. He could easily feel the newly formed tension lingering in the air during their afternoon practice, yet he couldn't bring himself to care just yet, quietly kicking the ball with a newfound fierceness that kept anyone from asking. Once practice was over, he was the first to leave without a word.

It was their first fight since they started dating. If this was how all of them would feel, if things were just going to get worse, Sakuma didn't even want to talk to him again.

* * *

At first, Sakuma had been too angry and hurt to care, to realize what was going on. It was only a few days later, when Genda nearly dozed off in class and he could swear the teacher nearly had a heart attack with how bad and disheveled he looked, that Sakuma's anger was quickly replaced with worry that made him feel sick to his stomach. He finally started to notice all those little things that were clouded by his turbulent emotions, and he didn't like any of it. Genda was looking so much worse than days ago, so much hurt flashing in those usually calm and fierce eyes whenever he looked at him, quickly hurrying to look away whenever Sakuma glanced at him. If he was just tired before, now he was definitely exhausted.

Enough was enough. If Genda wasn't going to tell him, then he would find out on his own, one way or another.

When that day's practice ended, he quickly gathered his things and changed, the first to leave the field with a hasty goodbye, trying to ignore the way his insides twisted uncomfortably when he saw Genda glancing at him with that same hurt look from before. Then, Sakuma just waited for him to leave, decided to follow him and find out the truth.

To his surprise, it wasn't only Genda. Narukami and Jimon quickly joined him, and Sakuma soon realized that he had been too worked up over his boyfriend to notice that two more of his friends were pulling the same disappearing act right after practice, and he almost wanted to kick himself for not seeing it sooner.

Somewhere along the way, two more kids joined them. Sakuma couldn't recall their names as much as he tried, but he did recognize them- one of the Mikage school players and the captain of the Occult. This was just getting weirder and weirder. He knew for a fact that neither of them were friends of anyone at Teikoku, only knowing each others thanks to friendly matches and tournaments. They had no reason to be walking together like that. Just what the hell was going on?

The odd group reached an empty stadium, heading for the locker room. Sakuma quietly slid into the audience seats to hide, up and far enough from the field to go unnoticed, but close enough to be able to clearly see what was going on. Soon, more kids arrived, accompanied by a woman- the previous Raimon coach, what was she doing there? His eye widened once he recognized all the schools they came from, even spotting a few from the Aliea and the Zeus, and even one of the Shin Teikoku defenders, all of them walking into the locker room with their bags.

When they walked out and into the field, they were wearing soccer uniforms he had never seen before, spreading on the field to start stretching and warming up. It looked just like a normal team practice, no matter how much he tried to find something out of the ordinary, so what was the big secret that Genda couldn't talk about?

Warm ups done, the practice started. Genda was standing in front of the goal, sporting a purple uniform with black accents, a vicious glint in his eyes as he waited for the shots to come.

The training was just brutal, hissatsu after hissatsu, shot after shot with barely any time to catch his breath. Even the Teikoku's training paled next to this. Whatever Genda was training for, it clearly wasn't working yet, each shot knocking him against the net and on the ground, leaving him gasping for air and struggling to get up as the coach ordered them to try again. Sakuma wanted to stop it more than anything else, hated seeing his boyfriend so hurt, thrown aside and kicked down over and over... yet he couldn't bring himself to say anything, not after seeing the grim determination in his eyes, hardening with every new attempt. As much as it worried him sick, seeing all the effort Genda was putting into this clearly showed how important it was to him.

All he could do was watch over him from afar to make sure he would be alright, at least for a little bit longer.

It was another day of practice, another day of Sakuma sneaking around to spy on them and weakly hope that Genda would be ok. That afternoon, the woman had taken the odd team to a temple nearby, one of those old ones built on top of a hill with those god awful stairs that took ages to get to the top. Then, she told them to start running. No one uttered a protest, just starting to run up the stairs as she started counting. Sakuma could feel his heart drop more and more with each time he saw them turn and start over.

He lost count after thirty-seven. Fifteen more later, and he didn't bother trying to count again.

He quietly breathed in relief when she finally made them stop and told them to rest, slumping against the tree that served as his hiding spot. With all he's seen so far, it's no wonder Genda always looked so tired at school.

When he overheard the team's quiet chatter closing in, Sakuma forced himself to stay as still and be as quiet as possible, waiting until everyone left to walk away unseen. He might be doing it out of worry, but Genda would likely take it badly if he found out Sakuma was following him. After what happened the other day, being found out there was the last thing he needed.

Most of them had already left, but he could still hear Narukami telling some dumb joke to Jimon until the latter muttered something about home and left. He and Genda where the only ones left.

"Hey... Is everything ok between you and Sakuma? I mean..." Narukami trailed off, and Sakuma quietly pressed his back harder against the tree, almost slapping a hand over his mouth when he nearly let his presence be known with a small gasp, hoping that no one would notice him eavesdropping.

After a moment, he heard Genda sigh. Even without looking, Sakuma already knew he was running a hand through his messy hair, a little gesture he had a habit of doing whenever something troubled him.

"I... I don't know... I hate to worry him, but I can't explain this, we promised to keep the secret... but he didn't take it well at all..." a pause, and the sound of grass rustling, then a groan. Genda must've given up and laid back on the ground in his struggle. "I don't know what to do anymore- I don't want to see him so upset, but I can't skip this practice after the coach came looking for me, and talking is still out of the question! But he just... I just... ugh... I'm a terrible boyfriend..."

"Well, I'm not an expert, but the fact that you're worrying so much over him is already telling enough." Some shuffling, and a soft sound. Narukami must've patted Genda in his attempts to help him, his best effort at comforting someone. "C'mon, don't be so scared- I mean, you guys are like, perfect for each other, I'm sure you'll get through this when it's all over. Just... don't give up. Besides, if he's so upset and worrying so much it's because he cares."

"I... I guess you're right... I hope so... I just- I just really love him- I don't want to hurt him..." A soft sigh, more rustling, then the sound of fallen leaves crunching under steps. "... Come on, let's get our stuff and go, it's getting late. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted..." Genda didn't quite manage to hide a yawn. Narukami just quietly chuckled, their footsteps slowly fading as they walked away.

For a while, Sakuma just sat there in silence, knees up to his chest and back resting against the tree he was hiding behind, mind still reeling after the conversation he unwillingly heard. When he finally remembered the hour, he forced himself to stand up and go home. During the walk, he couldn't get the conversation out of his mind, Genda's soft and hurt voice haunting him.

That night, Sakuma didn't quite manage to sleep, a good chunk of the time spent clinging to one of the penguins Genda got him and staring at nothing. He remembered those days after Shin Teikoku, blindly trusting each other with their worst nightmares and deepest fears when no one else understood. He also wondered when they had lost that trust.

He had to talk with Genda again.

* * *

Since all this mysterious and concerning training started, Genda began to take more time to get changed before Teikoku's practice. Odd, but it was only a few minutes, nothing too concerning compared to everything else going on, and so Sakuma just attributed it to the exhaustion of everything Genda was dealing with.

That day, he changed quickly, waiting next to the locker room's door for everyone else to leave so he could have at least a few minutes alone with Genda, hoping that it was finally the right moment to talk out their problems and fix everything before it could get even worse.

Slowly, the rest of the team walked out of the locker room, a few of them sparing him a quick questioning glance before moving on. He pretended to ignore Narukami's worried eyes set on him for a few seconds longer than usual before he hurried to leave with Jimon.

No one was left in the room besides Genda. It was now or never.

"Hey, Koujirou-" All the words died in his throat, Genda freezing in place, eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights. He had just taken off his shirt to change, leaving his torso exposed- and the bruises with it. It was a mess, fading bruises under newer ones, angry purple and red spreading all over his upper body, almost hiding a few yellow splotches far and in between. There were still quite a few spots of skin untouched, but the sickening clashing of darker colors was predominating. He was lucky that the long sleeved uniform hid the worst of it. Sakuma could feel all the blood draining from his face and his insides growing cold at the sight.

His body moved on its own, closing the distance between them in a few, heavy steps, anything he thought of saying completely slipping from his mind, haunted by the sight. Genda didn't dare to move, mouth slightly open as if he wanted to talk, but couldn't find any words. Sakuma raised a hand and stopped, unsure of what he could do, before hesitantly wrapping his arms around him and pulling him in for a hug, careful of where he touched him. Genda still winced just a little, but quickly returned the gesture, a hand reaching up to gently run his fingers through his hair.

"You idiot... Please, be more careful..."

"... I'm sorry..." Sakuma had a feeling the apology wasn't just for the bruises.

* * *

For a while, Sakuma kept following Genda in secret to the unknown team's practice, part of him wanting to figure out what exactly was going on and talk to him, the other part worried sick for him. Hitomiko's training never went easy on any of them, and for a moment Sakuma had to wonder if she would be better off training soldiers for the military rather than kids playing soccer. Now that was a scary thought.

When Genda was ready, there were three players standing in front of the goal, each of them with a ball and prepared to shot.

Then, there were wings sprouting from the captain's back, light gathering around the ball. For a moment, he froze, he wasn't looking at him anymore, dark hair replaced by long locks of blonde hair, sharp eyes and grin locking on the goal, lightning and thunder destroying everything in their path with the wrath of a god.

Coupled with the strength of two more powerful hissatsu shots, Genda didn't manage to stop them. His own technique cracked and crumbled under the raw power, the shots throwing him against the net and dropping him to the ground. It took Sakuma all of his willpower to keep quiet and not rush down there, to force himself to focus on Genda and see him slowly getting up, the somber image of his weak and unconscious body in a hospital bed painfully clear in his mind.

When he heard Genda's voice yelling to try again and saw the three players preparing to shoot again, Sakuma quietly sat on the floor, forcing himself to look away. For the rest of the practice, he could only listen to Genda's grunts as he fell over and over, could hear the pain in his voice as he asked to try again, even when he was well past his limit.

He could only hope that everything would end soon.

When practice ended, the coach and most of the team had already left, the few still there already heading towards the exit. At least Saginuma had the good grace to check on Genda and make sure he was alright before leaving, concern dripping from his voice. Sakuma was silently grateful for that- he wasn't sure he would be able to keep calm any longer if the captain didn't care for the team's wellbeing after that hell.

For a while, Genda just laid there on the ground, still busy regaining his breath, too sore to get up right away. Narukami approached him and knelt down at his side, playfully poking him with a finger before offering a hand to help him get up. They were alone, no one unwanted would notice him if he decided to walk into the field right there and then. That's exactly what he did.

"C'mon, I can't leave you here all alone, dude- the grass isn't really the best spot to take a nap."

"Just... give me a minute..." Except he looked like he definitely needed more than a minute. Narukami just huffed, somehow managing to find the patience to not walk away just yet.

"You said that like five minutes ago- it's getting late!" He lightly tugged on Genda's sleeve in an attempt to make him stand up. "This is why I told you to not overdo it! Just get up already, Sakuma will kick my ass if he finds out I left you alone here-"

"Yeah, I would." He had to admit it, if he wasn't so worried for Genda he would've laughed at Narukami's slightly terrified face. Genda just stared at him with wide eyes, almost as if he was scared of seeing Sakuma there. "Go home, Narukami- I'll take care of him." Narukami hesitated for a moment, looking at them unsurely and almost arguing against it, before realizing that he didn't want to end up as the middleman of a couple's fight. With that decision, he didn't hesitate to reach his bag and quickly taking his leave with an awkward goodbye and a mouthed 'good luck' to Genda.

For a while, they were quiet, the silence only broken by Genda's heavy breaths.

"Don't move- I'll go get your bag and then I'll take you home." Sakuma started walking towards the locker room, when a hand weakly tugging on his pant's leg stopped him. Genda was still on the ground, almost crawling on his knees, his grip on the fabric tighter and a silent plead in his eyes.

"You... are you mad...?"

Was he? At first, he definitely was, he couldn't deny it. Now, however?

"I... I don't know. Mad at seeing you this hurt? Yes, definitely- but at you? ... I don't think so. Not anymore." The grip on his pants was slack, weaker than before, yet still stubbornly refusing to completely let go. Genda wasn't really looking at him, as if his words didn't really convince him. Sighing, Sakuma leaned down to brush the bangs sticking to his skin aside, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. It was enough to convince him to look up, eyes wide as he finally met his gaze.

"Come on, just let me go get your bag so we can leave- I'm tired after just watching the whole afternoon, I don't know how you can even stay awake."

When Sakuma came back with a bag slung over his shoulder, Genda managed to find enough strength to at least sit up, quickly emptying the water bottle he didn't feel like opening before.

"Better?" Genda slowly nodded, too busy regaining his breath to talk just yet. "Ready to go then?" He nodded again, dropping the bottle to stand up- and stumbled, nearly falling to his knees when the adrenaline faded and his exhaustion caught up with him. Sakuma cursed under his breath, rushing to his side and quickly draping his arm over his own shoulder to keep him on his feet.

"Sorry..." He was struggling just to keep his eyes open by then.

"It's fine- don't apologize." Genda looked like he wanted to protest and apologize again, only to go quiet and decide to stop when he apparently realized that he was too tired to deal with Sakuma's sheer stubbornness.

For a while, they walked in silence, stopping every once a few minutes to make sure Genda wouldn't pass out any time soon. It was a painfully long walk and Genda was a tad too heavy for him to carry comfortably, but somehow they were managing.

"Jirou...?"

"What is it?"

"I love you..."

"... I love you too." Genda's tired smile was worth all the pain.

When they finally got to his home, Genda's parents were worried sick, profusely thanking Sakuma for taking care of their son and quickly inviting him to stay over for the night after looking at the hour. That was how a light dinner and some time later, Sakuma found himself wearing a pair of Genda's pjs too big for him and sharing a bed with his boyfriend. Not like he minded. It wasn't such a common occurence anymore since the nightmares after the Shin Teikoku disaster stopped being so frequent, but he would fully welcome it whenever the chance presented itself. At his side, Genda was peacefully sleeping, an arm lazily reaching out to hold him closer even while unconscious, a faint smile on his lips. He barely managed to change into more comfortable clothes before dropping onto the bed, out cold as soon as he touched the pillow.

Despite his usually serious attitude that made him look cool and even a bit intimidating, Genda somehow managed to be impossibly adorable in his sleep. It wasn't fair, really.

When sleep started to take over, Sakuma just quietly leaned up to kiss his forehead, to then get more comfortable under the sheets, his eye slowly closing. Genda was warm, a soothing presence that always made him feel at ease, that on a night like that, helped him sleep better than he had in days.

* * *

Something was making Genda uneasy that week. He tried to hide it, but Sakuma could tell, could easily see through him after so many years. He looked nervous, just like when they first started playing and had to face some scarily strong team. The Teikoku didn't have any friendly match scheduled any time soon, though. Somehow, that simple fact was enough to put Sakuma on edge, keeping a closer eye on him during those days, scared of finding more bruises and injuries than before.

Then, on a lazy saturday morning, Sakuma found him ready to head who knows where. He didn't miss how there was a purple and black sleeve poking out of his bag.

"What are you doing?" He wasn't really expecting an answer, as far as he knew nothing had changed yet. To his surprise, however, Genda looked like this time he was at least considering the question. Something was definitely up.

"Well... I guess after today you would find out anyways..." He was absently murmuring to himself before looking at Sakuma. "Alright... come with me if you want." He didn't need to be told twice.

At first, their walk was quiet, they were both too busy with their own thoughts to do small talk. Then, Sakuma stopped, realizing something. Genda just turned to look at him, a questioning look on his face.

"By the way... I'm sorry. For getting angry and yelling at you the other day." Genda looked almost surprised, flashing him a sheepish smile.

"Hey, it's fine, don't worry about it- I did kinda deserve it."

"No, it's not fine! I should've just listened-" He was cut off when Genda just stepped closer to hug him.

"It's fine, really. You were worried about me, right? And in hindsight, I can see why- that... must've looked pretty scary... sorry about that." Sakuma could already feel his face heating up. Grumbling, he returned the gesture, hiding his face in his shoulder.

"Idiot... I was the one apologizing."

For a moment, they just stood there, simply holding the other, a silent reassurance of their love and forgiveness and a reminder that they would always be there for each other. Sakuma refused to let go until he could feel his face no longer burning.

"Come on now, I'm gonna be late." When Genda pulled away, Sakuma stuck his tongue out at him. His hand still lingered on his arm.

"Your fault for going all mushy on me instead of just accepting my apology." Genda just smiled, playfully flicking his nose.

"Yeah, right. Really though, I'm going to be late and I'm the only keeper they have, let's hurry."

When they started walking again, he quietly slipped his hand into Genda's. When he saw his smile, soft and warm and kind, he could almost believe that everything was truly alright.

When they reached the team's meeting spot nearby their training field, Genda had fallen back into his usual role, the calm and strong keeper everyone could rely on, standing tall and proud as he protected their goal. He still refused to let go of Sakuma's hand.

Narukami was the first to notice them, flashing a thumb up and a dumb grin when his eyes landed on their held hands, whispering something along the lines of 'good job'. Sakuma flipped him off. Saginuma just raised an eyebrow once he saw Sakuma, looking at Genda for an explanation.

"I didn't say anything yet, he was just worried and didn't want to leave me alone."

"I still am, you know? Did you look at yourself in the mirror?" No one dared to interrupt him or get in the way, the argument just coming to a halt once the last few members of the team got there. Someone was snickering, though. Sakuma could swear it was Narukami, that little shit.

With the team gathered, they headed towards the stadium's locker room to change into their uniforms. Sakuma was standing outside, impatiently tapping his foot, the unpleasant memories of all that training refusing to go away. He just hoped that whatever was about to happen would be the end of this.

Saginuma was the first to leave the room, adjusting the captain band on his arm. Sakuma had to remind himself that Genda mentioned the coach scouting him to keep himself from glaring.

"I don't know what's going on," he started, making sure of having Saginuma's attention before continuing, "but I saw the bruises and how he almost passed out with that training. Don't you dare let him get any more hurt than he already is." Hearing the worry in his voice, Saginuma nodded. They both knew he couldn't guarantee that, but knowing he would at least try was enough.

When the team was ready, they headed towards the Raimon. Sakuma was quietly following them, the change of routine somehow managing to put him more on edge than all the practice he had to witness. Their coach was apparently discussing something with their captain, her stoic expression not betraying anything that could've clued him in. Genda still wasn't talking, clenching and unclenching his fists the way he did when he prepared for an important match.

Once they reached the school, Saginuma was the first to go ahead and talk to the Inazuma Japan. Genda quietly sighed at his side, looking at him with an apologetic smile.

"Well, I have to go." When he turned to walk away, Sakuma quickly grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"... Be careful, alright?" Then, he pulled him closer to lean up and kiss him. With that, he reluctantly let go, watching Genda briefly smile before joining the rest of the team. He hated it, not being able to do something more for him, to help him through this like he needed. Sighing, Sakuma walked near the field, mindful of staying out of Inazuma Japan's sight. If he could at least get some answers now, then he wanted to watch and make sure Genda would really be alright.

* * *

Neo Japan, the team of those who weren't considered worthy, who trained until they almost destroyed themselves just to be good enough, pushed forward by a burning passion and a determination of steel, all to have their chance to challenge the world. Sakuma was frozen in place, almost struggling to process this. Of course, it made so much sense in hindsight, how could he not realize it sooner? He wasn't happy when the members of Inazuma Japan were picked and he was left behind, he couldn't even begin to imagine what it felt like to not even be taken into consideration... and yet Genda still supported him, still cheered him on as he watched him play for the chance he wasn't even offered, even spent an entire day with him in an attempt to make him feel better when the coach didn't call his name and he let all that pent up frustration out.

"I'm the worst..." He would've gladly punched himself in the face if the match wasn't about to start. Sighing, he resigned himself to drown in that guilt, sitting down on the grass when the whistle started the match.

At least their training paid off. Inazuma Japan was struggling to keep up, hardly touching the ball at all, losing possession almost as soon as they managed to steal it.

Then, Fubuki got the ball, rushing towards the goal. He jumped, and the wolf howled. Sakuma held his breath as he saw the shot heading towards Genda, he knew wolf legend was one of their strongest hissatsu- and Genda just smirked, raising his hand.

"Drill smasher V2!"

He stopped the shot, the ball falling in his hands and the smirk still set on his face.

It might have been painful and hard, but he was stronger now.

The first half ended soon after that with Neo Japan leading.

The second half started with a tie, the strength of Gouenji's flames crushing Genda's technique, throwing him against the net and on the ground. Sakuma grit his teeth, forced to watch as he slowly got up, a clenched fist digging into the dirt. Saginuma had been quick to rush at his side, a whispered question that Sakuma couldn't hear as he knelt to check on him. Genda just glanced at him and quickly shook his head, back to his feet with a new vigor and something burning in his eyes.

The following shots where relentless, hissatsu after hissatsu without stopping. None of them could get past Neo Japan's combined technique, Genda standing proud with the defenders as they blocked each shot. Sakuma couldn't have been any prouder of him.

Both teams were growing desperate, one frantic attempt to break the tie after another, attacking and counterattacking without even catching their breaths. The end of the match was slowly approaching, the score still the same. They were bound to commit a mistake, it was just a matter of time.

They lost. That last, desperate attempt from Inazuma Japan was surprisingly powerful, too powerful even for their combined hissatsu, their defense crumbĺing when it was too late to do anything.

When everything was said and done, Genda was one of the first to leave the field. Sakuma quickly followed and caught up with him, already knowing what to expect.

"It wasn't your fault."

"I let those shots in." He was accusing himself. Sakuma placed a hand on his shoulder, tight enough to try and ground him without hurting him.

"You single handedly stopped one of the most powerful shots from one of their strongest forwards. Your combined hissatsu stopped more shots than what any other keeper would be capable of handling. Don't be so hard on yourself." Letting go of him, his gaze softened when Genda tiredly sighed, shoulders slumping, quietly accepting their defeat through clenched teeth, his words doing little to get those thoughts out of his head just yet. Sakuma moved to stand in front of him, gently cupping his face and brushing his cheeks with his thumbs, soft and soothing. "We'll train and become stronger- together. If we're not accepted for this tournament then we'll just work harder for the next year."

For a moment, Genda was quiet, just letting those words sink in. Then, he smiled, something small and tired, any energy he might've had left completely drained from him. He slowly nodded, leaning into the touch that could so easily make him forget all the anger and frustration.

"... Alright. Promise?"

"It's a promise. Come on now, let's go, you need to rest after that."

They might have lost, forced to stand back and watch them keep walking without looking at those left behind, but it didn't mean they would just silently accept it and give up. No, they would fight until the very end and prove their worth- and this time, they would do it together.


End file.
